Weight Control

I hoisted the pack over my shoulders and stepped on the scales. Almost fifty pounds. Then I shouldered my daughter's and repeated the process: thirty five pounds. Could she carry this for five days? Could I?

With no opportunity to replenish our food supply, we had little choice. Our only consolation was eating our packs lighter by the day. Unfortunately, I selected food high in nutrition but low in taste which caused it to disappear slowly. Nor did we count on the daily thunderstorms making our gear heavier.

With no options, aching shoulders and buckling knees, we trudged our daily nine miles toward our intended destination, desperately attempting to enjoy our company and the landscape in spite of the pain. Had there been a way, I would have gladly stripped away some of the weight.

Spiritual journeys can be weightier and more challenging than walking forty miles with a heavy backpack while maneuvering over mountain terrain. Bad attitudes, gossip, knee jerk reactions, unkind words, unforgiveness, rash decisions, poor planning, and unwise relationships can all weigh us down and trip us up.

But what I could not remove from my backpack, I can from my spiritual excursion. Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1 NIV).

Weight-whether too much, improperly distributed or in the form of unhealthy actions and attitudes, can lead to injury and wasted time when running, walking, backpacking, and serving God.

Unpacking or lightening the load is our responsibility but can only be accomplished at God's initiative and with his assistance. Through prayer, he will show us what needs to go and what needs to stay. And through the power of his Spirit, he will enable us to strip off what impedes our progress.

Prayer: Lord, show us the weights that slow us down in our journey toward Your goal and grant us the strength to cast them aside.